Stockless anchor



July 14, 1925. 1,546,224

J. E. FLETCHER sToc'xLEss ANCHOR Filed Aug. 8, 1924 ZSh'eets-Sheet 1 July 14, 1925. 1,546,224

u. E. FLETCHER STOCKLESS ANCHOR Filed Aug. 8. l924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zia/002 2Z6. neither;

Patented July 14, 1925.

JOSEPH ERNST FLETCHER, OF DUDLEY, ENGLAND.

STOCKLESS ANCHOR.

Application filed August 8, 1924. Serial No. 730,963

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn ERNsT FLETCHER, a subject of the King of England,

and residing at Dudley, in the county of Stafford, England, have invented Improvements in Stockless Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to anchors of the stockless or patent type, namely, the type in which the arms or flukes are pivoted, and adapted to move about a pivot or axis lying in the general plane of the anchor, and the shank of the anchor carries or is attached to the pivot; and it relates more especially to. anchors of the kind the head and flukes of which are of cast steel or iron.

To obtain sufficient strength in the anchor head and arms of an anchor of convenient overall dimensions, and to provide ample weight, the bulk of the weight of the head is usually placed in-the neighbourhood of the axis or pivot, and this has necessitated the making of the anchor head casting of such design as is likely to introduce internal stresses, cavities, shrink holes, and hidden flaws within the steel, especially in the neighbourhood of the heavy sections surrounding the pivot pin, or pins or trunnion-s and at the arm ends adjacent to the same.

Differential contractions, as is well known, take place in any steel casting having varying thicknesses of section in contiguous areas and such differential contraction leads to pulls or cracks at the points 01- positions where, during solidification from the molten state, one part is freezing rapidly whilst an adjacent part may still be molten; and it is the primary object and effect of this invention to obviate or avoid defects and drawbacks of these kinds in an anchor of the character or construction specified.

In an anchor according to this invention, the head casting, which is in usual practice designed so as to weigh say more than half of the total weight of the anchor, is proportioned as regards the thickness of the metal generally, so that there is no excess thickness in the neighbourhood of the trunnions and arm ends. This casting'may weigh, say, less than half of the total anchor weight, and though having the same over-all di mensions of a normal anchor, will be stronger than the usual'forin, and be possessed of greater elasticityzand ability to ;r,e-

sist shgck or impulsive stresses 5 and it is cast with cavities or recesses the armends or crown, and the requislte full Weightrequired is attained by means of metal blocks,

preferably cast iron or .so called semifsteel blocks, which are fitted Within the crowntof the head or arm ends,,and held in position by the pivot or trunnion pin or shaft, which may pass across the entire width of the anchor head,,or be secured by suitable cross pins or bolts passing through th head at The partsof the crown -or arm ends in which the cavitiesare formed, are Soformed,

that the cast iron or semi-steel weighting blocks, firmly secured within the anchor head or crown, will be protected by theconin case the anchor should fall violently on its head, and strike the bottom, is prevented.

The weighting blocks and parts are in some casesso constructed and arranged that they provide a means for elastically taking up the pull on the shank, and trunnionpin or shaft when the anchor is functioning normally, and especially when subjected to impulsive stresses through the cable; andthe blocks may be split, say at the outer part, and grip the trunnion pin or shaft; andithe sides of the cavities in the crown or arm ends, in which the blocks lie, may be inclined converging together at the bottom, while the outer partsor ends of the cavit walls extend over inwards towards eao other, and in the portions of the cavity so formed, the ends of the blocks may fit and be held. I

The anchor according to this invention, the nature of which is above described, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which Figure 1 is a general view of the anchor, F gure 2 is an end view, Figure 3 anchor, which is very often several tons.

2 are the trunnions, 3 the shank, and 4 the rams or flukes. y

In the portions of the head from :which the arms .or flukes 4 extend, the :large cavities orchainbers 5 are cast, sothatthe' metal the back of the trunnion pin, and at right angles to such pin, or in any other suitable manner. i

round; these cavities or chambers is comparatively thin as shown; and the cavities extend from the ends inwards, to the degree as shown, so that a wall of metal of suitable thickness remains between the ends thereof, and the hole 9 in the head-through which the head of the shank 3 passes, and in which it lies and works.

' The requisite full weight required in the anchor head is attained by the cast metal blocks6, say cast iron blocks, which are introduced into and practically fill the cavities or chambers 5 of the head; and they are held in position in-the case shown by cross rivets 7, but other suitable holding or retaining means may be employed. In the construction of anchor shown, the portions of the head, from which the upperends of the arm 4 extend, are shown convex at their upper part, and from the edges of this part, the contour of the head is in the form of downwardly inclined portions, the lower parts of which merge into the roots or upper parts of the arms or 'fiukes; and from other portions ofthese upper edges ofthe convex parts, the trippers 8 extend. Thus, the end portions of the head'area species of triangular form, and the cavities 5 are correspondingly made, as are also of course the blocks 6, which fill them." i

By-the constructionshown, the weighting 7 blocks 6 are protected, so that they do not become subjected to stress, and the possibility of fracture, in case the anchor should fall violently on its head in striking the bottom.

The central portion of the anchor head is provided with a hole 9 as stated, through which-the shank 3 is passed; and holes are provided in its side walls, between the inner ends of the cavities 5 and the hole 9, through which the trunnion pin 2 of the shank is passed when connecting the shank to the head; and when in position in the head, it will be held and locked in this the presence of the blocks 6.

position by When the anchor head strikes the bottom,

the thrust of the shank on the anchor 1 through'the trunnions 2 is thus taken directly by the cast metal of the head, namely,

' that of the side walls of the hole 9; and the sides of the shank head being close to the walls,only a direct shearing strain comes on the trunnion.

The gripping and holding power of an anchor of the stockless or so-called patent type, though largely dependent on the overall dimensions of the head and shank, such as the distance between the flukes and the size and shape of same; the length of the arms, width and depth of trippers; the

v *angle'of cant and the lengthof the shank,

is also dependenton its total weight, and onthe disposition of themetal masses on I declare that what I claim is upper ends, or other parts.

Figure 5 of the drawings shows the modi flCELillOll' whereln the weighting blocks are constructed and arranged so as to provide a means for elastically takingup the pull on the shank, and the. trunnion pin, when the anchor is functioning normally, and especially when subjected to impulsive stress through the cable.

' In the construction shown, by which these elfects are accomplished, the blocks 6 are split at the top at the point 10, whilst the trunnion pin will extend on either side through the two blocks, and may be secured at the outside ends by rings or nuts and cotter pins or like fastenings; and the blocks would be constructed so that the metal forming the inside surface of the holes'of the blocks 6 would grip the extended ends of the trunnion.

In the case shown, the blocks 6which I should be of steelare of the general formation of those shown in Figures 1 to 4; but their two upper outer angles 6 are adapted to lit in and make contact with the interior angles of the chambers 5 in the ends of the'head 1 in which the blocks lie as seen in the figure; whilst the parts of the block which are beneath this point 6 may be out of contact with the angular interior surface of the hole or cavity 5, and the trunnion may be loose in the'holes in the walls between the shank hole 9 and the end of the chambers 5.

In this case furthermore, the roof of the chambers 5 is partly open as shown.

ascertained the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

1. A cast anchor, having the head portion in line with the flukes formed with cavities wholly closed except through an opening at the end of the head, and metal blocks secured within said cavities.

2. A cast metal anchor having the central portion of its head formed with a shank opening, and the end portions of the head formed with cavities openingsthrough the ends, said cavities being otherwise closed and terminating short of the shank open- Havingnow particularly described and ing, blocks'removablyf securedin said cavities, and ashankpivotpin supported in the Walls of the shank opening and extending means for elastically taking up the pull on through said Walls and into said cavities. the shank.

3. A cast metal anchor having a head, In testimony whereof I have signed my flukes extending therefrom, said head being name to this specification in the presence of 5 formed With cavities in line With the fiukes, tWo subscribing Witnesses.

and Weighting blocks arranged in said cavities as independent elements, a shank mov- JOSEPH ERNST FLETCHER ably mounted in the head, the Weighting lVitnesses: blocks receiving the pivot of the shank and FRANK S. FRANCIS, 10 being longitudinally divided to provide a WV. HOWARD BAKER. 

